Thill-coupling.



No. 673,48l. Patented May 7, I901. W. E. SHERWOOD.

THILL'LBOUPLING.

(Application filed Nov. 24, 1900.)

(No Model.)

NITED STATES WILLIAM E. SHERWOOD, OF ONEIDA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OFONE-HALF TO WILLIAM E. DOUGLAS, OF SAME PLACE.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,481, dated May '7,1901.

' Application filed November 24, 1900. Serial No. 37,574. (110 model.)

To Ml whom it may concern: passes the bolt or rivet B, enveloped betweenBe it known thatI, WILLIAM E. SHERWOOD, the cars by a rubber tube orwasher to preof Oneida, in the county of Madison, in the vent rattling.In Fig. ithe ears are integral State of New York, have invented new andwith the clip or tie plate and not with the clip, 5 useful Improvementsin Tliill-Couplings, of as in Fig. 1. The form of draft-iron is quitewhich the following, taken in connection with immaterial, as anysuitable and well-known the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear,draft-iron may be used with my invention. and exact description. 0 isthe metallic strap adapted to be se- My invention relates toimprovements in cured to the lower side and end portion of a rothill-couplings; and the object is to providea pole or thill D and ispreferably provided simple and efficient coupling that may be withupwardly-projectinglipsddon opposite easily and quickly applied withoutremoving sides to hold the thill in place. The end of a bolt and thatwill .be suitable for connecthe strap O is provided with a fixed andintetion with almost anydraft-iron in use, includgral semicircular jaw eon its end to bear upon [5 ing those used on modern small-wheeled veandpartly envelop the rubber tube 0. The hicles. lower jaw f has also asemicircular portion To this end my invention consists in the and ismovable toward and from the upper combination of a strap adapted to besecured jaw and is provided with ears lying on oppoto the shaftandprovided with a rigid jaw, a sit-e sides and in recesses in the strap0 just 2o movable jaw below the rigid jaw turning on a forward of thefixed jaw, through which ears pivot passing transversely through thestrap, and part of strap between them passes a rivet a lever hinged to alug on the lower side of or pivotf, on which the movable jaw swings. thesaid strap, and a spring connecting the The two jaws form the draft-eyeand when movable jaw with a pivot passing transversely closed completelyand closely envelop the rub- 25 through the said leverintermediateitslength; ber tube on the bolt.

and my invention consists in certain other Projecting downwardly fromthe lower side combinations of parts hereinafter described, of the strapor thill-iron a considerable disand specifically set forth in the claim.tance forward of the jaws is a lug 9. To this In the drawings heretoannexed and formlug is pivoted a bifurcated lever E, which is 3o ing apart of this specification, Figure 1 is a preferably provided on itsfree end with a sectional side elevation of my improved thillloop h fora safety-strap. The pivot 2' passes coupling, showing the draft-eye orjaws transversely through the bifurcated end of closed. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same, the lever and the lug, so that the lever swingsshowing the coupling removed from the drafttoward and from the jaws. Thesaid lever is 5 iron of the vehicle and with the draft-eye or slightlycurved and is connected with the jaws open. Fig. 3 is a side elevationof the movable jawfby means of aspring F, having spring connections andshows how the spring a substantially flat central portion and eyes iswrapped around the pivot in the movable at opposite ends for connectionwith the transjaw. Fig. 4 is a lower side plan view of the verse pivotsk and l, passing through the ears 4.0 device when the jaws are closed,and shows n on the movable jaw and the lever, respecthe jaws connectedto a draw-iron integral tively. The end of the spring F between the withthe clip-plate instead of the clip, and ears n of -the movable jaw f isalso provided serves to illustrate that the coupling is adaptwith ahelical spiral s for the purpose of aled to be connected to variousforms of draftlowing greater flexibility and toinsnre against 5 5 ironsand is not limited to any particular the breaking of the eyes when thelever is form. operated. It also allows the central portion Referringspecifically to the drawings, A i of the spring to be made straight, soas to lie a portion of the axle, provided with the usual close to thelower side of the strap-O and be clip A and clip-plate A" below theaxle. The tween the strap and the lever when the jaws I00 50 clip shownin Fig. 1 has the common forare closed.

wardly-extending ears a a, through which Fig. 1 shows a loop h on theforward end and integral with the clip-plate A and a safety-strapconnecting the loop h with the loop h on the end of the lever E.

' When the jaws are closed or when the parts are in the position shownin Fig. 1, the movable jaw is securely held up and locked in thatposition and cannot be moved or opened until the lever E is throwndownward and forward, and considerable force must be applied to thelever to swing the same downward, owing to the arrangement of theconnecting parts.

Having described my invention, what I vided with a rigid jaw, a movablejaw below the rigid jaw tiirning on a pivot passing through the saidstrap, a lever hinged to the strap forward of the jaws, and a springhaving eyes at opposite ends connecting the movable jaw with the leverintermediate its length, said spring having a substantially straightcentral portion and a helical end portion at the eye connected to themovable jaw, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

WILLIAM E. SHERWOOD. n s.]

l/Vitnesses:

A. E. HOPKINS, W. E. DOUGLASS.

